Whispered Prayers of a Girl

“I, uh… I really appreciate you letting me adopt one of Gigi’s puppies. The kids will love having one around.”

Something flickers in his eyes, but before I can figure out what it is, he says, “No problem. I only plan to keep one, so I’ll be looking for a place for the others anyway. You just made it a bit easier for me.”

An idea comes to me. “If you’d like, I can talk to Jeremy and see if he and his mom would like one.”

He nods, and after a moment of silence, asks, “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure.”

I follow him into the house and immediately feel like I’m home. A pang hits my chest. Everything looks the same as it was before, but it’s silly to think it would be different. It’s only been two weeks. I almost laugh at myself.

“Something to drink?” Alexander asks, standing by the bar. He appears to be as nervous as I am and it lessons some of my anxiety.

“Yes, please.”

He turns, and I follow him into the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools. There’s a pot of something boiling on the stove that smells delicious. He pulls two glasses out of the cabinet, sets them down, and retrieves a pitcher of tea out of the fridge. After pouring us both a glass, he slides one across to me.

“How’s business?” I ask, then want to smack my forehead.

How’s business? How freaking generic is that?

As if sensing my inner foolishness, one corner of his mouth tips up into a smirk. The look renders me speechless and I duck my head in embarrassment. I’m not cut out for this. I should have gone to a pet store and gotten a puppy from there.

“It’s good. Got another horse today,” he answers. “Looking forward to working with her.”

I lift my head, forcing myself to get past my awkwardness. “It’s a girl? What’s her name?”

“Nina.”

A fierce pain nearly has me falling from

my chair. “I’ve always loved that name.” I look down at the glass in my hands. “Will and I… if we had another girl, had planned to name her Nina after my mother.” I bring my gaze back to him and smile sadly. “Kelsey’s name came from his mom.”

Alexander’s brows dip down in a frown. “Maybe one day you still could.”

A month ago I would have thought the idea impossible, but now, looking at Alexander and thinking about what he’s made me feel recently, the idea doesn’t scare me as much. An image pops in my head of Alexander holding a baby girl. It’s unrealistic to place him in that image, but it formed before I could stop it. I have no clue what my feelings for him are or his for me, but something deep inside has placed him in my vision for a reason. I saw the way he was with Daniel and Kelsey. Alexander would make a wonderful father. I have no doubt in my mind.

Emma’s words from the other day play in my head.

I don’t know how accurate it is, but from what I was told, his wife and little girl drowned.

Looking at Alexander and knowing what I know, I understand why he seemed so hard that day at the grocery store and when he found me and the kids. Anyone that went through what he did would be left bitter.

The scars on his face and arm give him even more reason. People can be so insensitive to things they haven’t experienced, and I’m sure he’s heard the rumors and whispers.

I give him a soft smile. “Yeah. Maybe one day.”

The look that crosses his face confuses me. It’s a mixture of longing and pain. He turns away before I can decipher the meaning behind it, and sets his empty glass down in the sink. When he turns back, the look is gone, and I wonder if I imagined it.

“Puppies are this way,” he says, his voice coming out deeper than normal. “You wanna go pick one out?”

I get up from my stool and carry my glass to the sink, depositing it beside his before turning back to him.

“Lead the way.”

He takes me through a door in the kitchen, one I hadn’t gone in during my time here. It seems to be a big utility room. There are several stacks of totes in one corner with a work bench beside them, a multitude of tools littering the surface. Typical male, leaving his tools out. There’s a weight machine and treadmill off to one side. Front and center is a big black motorcycle.

I look over to Alexander and raise my brow. “I didn’t take you for the type of guy that rides motorcycles.”